Born
on November 5, 1865 at Boston, Massachusetts, he was a long-standing Member
of Congress from Massachusetts. He resigned his office at the outbreak
of World War I and at the time was the second ranking Republican on the
Ways and Means Commitee and there were only thirty-four Members of Congress
who had more service than he. He died on January 15, 1918 at Camp Wheeler,
Georgia, while on active duty with the Army. He was returned to Washington
and buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery.

His wife, Constance Gardner (the daughter of
Henry Cabot Lodge) is buried with him.
Courtesy of the U.S. House of Representatives

GARDNER,
Augustus Peabody, (uncle of Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr.), a Representative from
Massachusetts; born in Boston, Mass., November 5, 1865; attended St. Paul’s
School, Concord, N.H., and was graduated from Harvard University in 1886;
studied law in Harvard Law School, but never practiced, devoting himself
to the management of his estate; captain and assistant adjutant general
on the staff of Gen. James H. Wilson during the Spanish-American War; member
of the State senate 1900 and 1901; elected as a Republican to the Fifty-seventh
Congress to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of William H. Moody;
reelected to the Fifty-eighth and to the seven succeeding Congresses and
served from November 3, 1902, until May 15, 1917, when he resigned to enter
the Army; chairman, Committee on Industrial Arts and Expositions (Fifty-ninth
and Sixtieth Congresses); during the First World War served at Governors
Island and in Macon, Ga., as colonel in the Adjutant General’s Department,
and later was transferred at his own request to the One Hundred and Thirty-first
Regiment, United States Infantry, with the rank of major; died at Camp
Wheeler, Macon, Ga., January 14, 1918; interment in Arlington National
Cemetery.

MAJOR GARDNER’S
LAST RITES IN ST. JOHN’SMilitary
Funeral Today in Washington ChurchBody Reaches
Capital – Burial Will Be In Arlington Cemetery

WASHINGTON,
January 16, 1918 – At the request of Mrs. Gardner, the plan of Congress
for a public funeral for Major Augustus P. Gardner was abandoned today,
and announcement was made that the service would take place at St. John’s
Protestant Episcopal Church, “The Church of the Presidents,” tomorrow afternoon
at 2 o’clock. Rev. Dr. Roland Cotton Smith, Rector of the church
will officiate.

As it will
be a military funeral, no pallbearers have been named, but the ushers will
be Brigadier General Charles R. McCauley, Senator Brandegee, Representative
Nicholas Longworth, son-in-law of Colonel Roosevelt; Clarence R. Wilson,
Representative W. W. Lufkin, formerly Major Gardner’s secretary and his
successor in Congress; Thomas Spring Rice, brother of the British Ambassador,
and Elliott Wadsworth.

Under military
escort, the body will be taken across the Potomac to Virginia for burial
in Arlington National Cemetery.

Accompanied
by Mrs. Gardner and Major General F. Kernan, Major Gardner’s body reached
Washington today and was taken to his late home at 1817 H Street, Northwest.
Many persons of distinction left cards at the house.

At a meeting
of the Massachusetts members of the House of Representatives, John Jacob
Rogers and M. F. Phelan were named as a committee to frame resolutions
on Major Gardner’s death, to arrange for floral tributes and for attending
the funeral in a body. The resolutions will be presented to Major
Gardner’s family.

As St. John’s
Church is small, not a fraction of the persons anxious to attend Major
Gardner’s funeral will be able to find places. A large cortege of
civilians is expected to follow the body to the grave.
SAYS MAJOR GARDNER GAVE LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY

MACON, Georgia,
January 16, 1918 – Tributes to Major A. P. Gardner, ex-Congressman from
Massachusetts, who died of pneumonia Monday at Camp Wheeler, is contained
in an order issued by Brigadier General John L. Hayden, acting commander
of the Dixie Division. The order follows:

“It is with
genuine sorrow that the Commanding General announced the death of Major
Augustus P. Gardner, 121st Infantry, which occurred at Camp Wheeler today.

“The whole
country knew him as the leading exponent in Congress of the cause of preparedness.

“The Dixie
Division, which he named, knew him as a faithful and sympathetic friend
and as a deeply patriotic, unselfish, duty-loving and hard-working officer.

“He gave
his life for his country just as truly as though he had been killed going
over the top over there.

“To the
members of his family is extended the heartfelt sympathy of each and every
member of the Dixie Division.”